Spectrum: Ninniach's Tale
by Myth Queen
Summary: Maglor discovers a silmaril in modern-day earth. He intends to make sure it never falls into innocent hands again. There's just one problem... Written in collaboration with Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl.
1. Chapter 1

AN: There is a companion story to this, called Spectrum; The Harpist's Tale, by Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl. We are working together on this project. The stories take place at the same time, and you will need to read both to understand what's going on in later chapters.

#

Water was the first word I learned. I knew the feeling, the sensation, of it swirling around me, but I had no words to describe what I felt. Alone came soon after, and then cold. Dark was next. I was alone, cold, in the dark water. The first sentence in my mind was 'What was happening?' followed closely by 'Who am I?' There are no words to describe those first moments of consciousness, when I was flooded by words and thoughts, each one something new and exciting and terrifying.

There was pain, but it was not pain. I don't know how to describe it. Something was leaving me, something that had been with me since I was formed, and it hurt. Not the hurt that comes when you stub your toe, or cut your hand, or even the pain that comes when you lose someone you love, or they lose you.

I remember when another pain hit me. I was rising through the water, buffeted by forces that wanted to control me, as I had always been. I was thrown by the waves against something, and the word pain flashed through my mind as I opened my newly-formed mouth to scream. Water filled it, and another word entered my mind. Air. I needed air.

I don't remember the sensation of first moving my arms and legs, for my mind had latched onto the word air and held it so tight that nothing else could enter. The moment I broke through the surface and took my first gasp of air was the moment I first lived. My mind exploded. Hands. Fingers. Head. Hair. Eyes. Mouth. Nose. Sky. Sea. Land. Terror. It was almost enough for me to long to return to the depths where I had slept so long, but the will of the Valar is never to be ignored.

Ulmo's waves bore me to the land, and I lay on the beach, shivering with cold. Time did not yet hold any meaning for me, and so I do not know how long I was there. My head drifted to one side. The names building, house, cottage crowded into my mind as I looked at the structures made by mortal hands that were scattered farther up the beach. The tall dark walls were cliffs. The brightness in the sky was the sun, the last fruit of Laurelin. I felt her light seep into me, filling me with the same light I was made of.

Exhaustion is the next word I learn, and closing my eyes I let it claim me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please read Chapter 1 of Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale before this chapter for things to make sense.**

**#**

It was a strange sensation, to open my eyes and find that I knew everything of my surrounding. I was cold, but there was soft warmth wrapped around me. My hair was still a little damp, and I felt it spreading around me and laying under my shoulders. The taste of sea salt was still on my lips and I licked them, enjoying the sensation.

I heard the sound of breathing and I looked to one side. A man sat some distance away, watching me. No, not a man. An elf. His grey eyes locked on mine and for a moment I couldn't breathe. I knew those eyes. I shrank back from him, unable to give a name to the terrible fear that beat against my chest and pounded in my head.

He said something in a tongue that I couldn't understand, reaching towards me. I flinched away from his hand. He withdrew and gazed at me for another long moment. There was nothing threatening about his person. His hair was cut shoulder-length and groomed carefully. His clothing, while old and travel-stained, was of a simple fare, showing humble origins. He wore gloves to shield his hands from the cold. I saw no evidence of weapon or sorcery about him.

"You have no need to fear," he said in Sindarian, but the words were rough and hesitant, as though he had almost forgotten how to speak. There was curiosity in his face, and trepidation as well. "How did you- Why-" He fell silent for a moment, struggling with himself. "What is your name?" he asked eventually.

"Ninniach," my voice whispered, almost of it's own accord. The sound of it surprised me.

"Ninniach," he said softly. "Rainbow."

I slowly pushed myself up, and became aware that I was clothed only in seaweed and a blanket. I clutched the cloth to my chest, eyes widening again. The elf looked at the floor.

"Forgive me, I am so full of questions that I forgot- it has been a long time since I have seen another Elf," he said softly, turning to a nearby bag, made of a strange, stiff material.

_I am not an Elf,_ I thought as he pulled clothing from the bag. He held them out to me, but I didn't move. He set the clothing down and then stood.

"I will step outside until you dress," he told me, and, sensing my continued unease, kept to the edge of the cave as he exited.

I waited until his footsteps disappeared before unwrapping myself from the blanket. I peeled away the seaweed that clung to me like a garment, and then dressed quickly, keeping a wary eye on the entrance to the cave. The trousers were too long for me, but to my surprise my waist was hardly thinner than the Elf's, and though I struggled with the strange fastenings on the shirt, I dressed quickly.

Feeling a little safer within the clothing, I skirted to the entrance of the cave and peered out. The sun was low in the Western – returning to Valinor. My heart ached suddenly, wishing that I was in that vessel, returning to the place where I knew I belonged. The descending sun left a long, reflection in the ocean, which had grown placid. The light on the water looked like a bridge, and I stepped out of the cave, wondering, if I was quick enough, if I could run along its path to the Blessed Realm.

A second light caught my eye in the western sky. I stepped forward, my eyes widening. The evening star, my mind supplied as I gazed upon the smaller light that was at once less magnificent and yet far more dear, Earendil's Silmaril.

The star seemed to twinkle brighter for a moment as I gazed at it. A smile blossomed across my face and I took another step forward, only to have my foot meet air and not solid rock. I pitched forward. The waves rose up the rocky side of the cliff. A scream rising in my throat as I threw out my arms to catch my balance.

Suddenly, arms caught around my waist and pulled me back, away from the edge. I glanced at my rescuer, the elf. His arms were tight around my waist and his presence scared me more than the prospect of falling. I pushed against him and he released me. Stumbling back against the cliff face, I gasped for breath while staring at him.

"I will not harm you," he said, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. "Please do not be afraid."

I made no reply. He stepped forward cautiously, so as not to frighten me further, but I pressed myself against the rock.

"I have so many questions," he said, and there was something burning in his eyes that I couldn't name. "But first, how did you come here?"

The question seemed to delve its way into my skull. Instantly images, feelings, flashed through my mind. Beauty being snatched away, drained but a horrible dark creature. Being locked away, hidden, jealously guarded only to have blood spilled and an evil hand grasp me. Helplessness as the dark cloud surrounded me, locking me in cold iron with my two siblings. A terrible battle, seeing the shining Maia and Valar march upon the one who held me bound and freeing me. I saw the red eyes flash in anger, I heard a shout of hatred, an oath that I and those like me would never return to Valinor. I remembered the hands of the Blessed tenderly placing me in safety. And I remembered being taken from the hallowed light and grasped by another corrupted hand.

I gasped, flinging myself away from the elf as a name broke into my mind. A hated, bitter name. _Melkor_.

The elf stepped forward, stretching out his hand to grab me. I struck away the hand and then pushed him hard in the chest. He tilted dangerously towards the edge of the path. Without waiting to see what effect my actions would have, I turned and fled from before him. I scrambled over the rocks, feeling their shards pierce my skin. Soon blood dripped down my feet. I stumbled many times, bruising my knees and hands, but I pushed myself back up and continued to run.

When I made it to the beach, I plunged into the ocean. The waters were cold and large waves broke against me, pushing me back towards the land. "Ulmo!" I screamed, my voice more piercing than the cries of the gulls. "Take me back!"

A giant wave like a hand came towards me and I opened my arms, ready to be received back in the arms of the ocean. But instead of embracing me, the wave shoved me back. My feet slipped from under me and I fell below the water. The salt stung my eyes and wounds. I opened my mouth to entreat for Ulmo's mercy. The taste of the sea burned my tongue. I felt hands take hold of my arms, pulling me back. I let them.

They dragged me onto the beach again and coughing I looked up, cringing as I saw a male face. But then I realised that this was a man, with fair hair and blue eyes, and he was not alone. There was another man with him, dark-haired, as well as two women, both with brown hair, though one had hers cropped close to her head. They spoke in a strange tongue, leaning over me, helping me to my feet as I expelled the ocean from my lungs. One of the men removed his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders.

I gazed at the setting sun with dismay, tears splashing onto my cheeks as it sank into the ocean. "Take me with you," I whispered as the Mortals began to shepherd me up the beach.

I glanced back at the cliffs and saw the elf watching me. He stood there, not moving, in shadow. Blood trickled down his forehead, and he made a move to go forward but grimaced and stopped. His gaze never left me, and I felt the terror threaten to overwhelm me again. I could see in his grey eyes that he would not stop pursuing me.

"You're all right now," one of the women said to me and I turned my gaze from the elf to her. "You're all right," she repeated.

"You know Sindarian?" I asked, but by the frown that crossed her face I could see she didn't understand me.

One of them men said something that I didn't understand, and then the other one replied, "It doesn't matter."

I frowned as I listened to them speak, some words that I didn't understand and some I did. Slowly more and more of their words registered in my mind, and soon I was able to determine that they were going to take me to a place of healing. I glanced back at the cliffs again, but this time the elf had moved or the shadows had consumed him.

"What were you doing out there?" asked the short-haired woman as the group reached a well-paved road.

I licked my lips and tried to use my newfound understanding of their language. "I need to return to Valinor."

"Sorry, I didn't understand that," she replied, and the fair-haired man said something about a tourist.

"We don't get tourists," the woman told him with an edge to her voice. "I'm going to run ahead and get a car."

"Car," I repeated, turning the strange word over my tongue. By the grace of the Valar, an image came to my mind of a metal box on wheels, rolling faster than a chariot. I shuddered. "No car."

"Well, she understands that much," the dark-haired man murmured, and then in a reassuring voice, he said to me, "It's okay."

I would not be imprisoned in metal again. I straightened, pulling away from the consoling arms that were around me. "No, it is not. I will not be put in a car, and you would do well to respect my wishes."

I looked at the young faces, and saw shock and awe in them. The woman with long hair glanced at her companions before speaking. "You speak English."

I nodded. "The Valar have given me a gift of learning, it seems."

"The what?" the fair-haired man asked, his brow furrowing. By the expressions of his companions, all of them felt as confused as he.

I frowned. "Have the Valar been forgotten, then?"

The dark-haired man muttered the word crazy to the long-haired woman. I quickly shrugged the jacket off my shoulders and handed it back. "Thank you for your assistance, but I no longer require it."

"No offence, but you're soaking wet," the fair-haired man replied. "I don't think that we should..."

As he trailed off, my frown deepened. The elf was still out there. Perhaps it would not be wise to so hastily shrug off the companionship of these mortals. Slowly I nodded. "Yes, of course. I apologise. It has been a trying day for me..."

He put the jacket back over my shoulders. "My name is Alex, by the way, and these are Ryan, Amelia, and her sister Emilie."

"I am Ninniach," I informed them.

"That's an unusual name," the short-haired woman, Emilie, responded. "Your contacts are amazing, by the way. Like little rainbows. Where did you get them?"

"Contacts," I repeated, but the meaning of the word did not register. I elected to ignore the question. "Where am I?"

"Happisburgh," Alex replied. "A place with no past, and no future. If you were looking for the most invisible town on the planet, you've found it."

"It's not that bad," Amelia objected.

I looked up at the stars that were slowly appearing in the sky. For a moment, I could see white walls rising around me, could hear the laughter of children and the songs of elvish voices. I closed my eyes, allowing Alex to guide me down the road, and a deep sadness fell over me. I knew suddenly that it was not just the language and peoples that had changed since the time that the Valar were known and revered. The land had changed as well.

"A great city once stood here," I murmured, opening my eyes again and pulling the coat closer around my shoulders. The Mortals didn't comment, and I did not share with them that the name Lindon had entered my mind.

"Your feet are bleeding," Emilie said suddenly.

"I'm fine."

"No, here, let me carry you," Alex offered.

"I'm fine," I repeated. I had spent long enough being borne to and fro with no limbs of my own with no say in the direction I went. "I want to walk."

"Your feet-" Alex cut off as I shook my head. The mortal's brow furrowed as he contemplated me, and then glanced at the others for help, but none of them spoke. As I glanced over them, I saw that it was not confusion that held their tongues bound. No, I saw something akin to awe, or perhaps unease, in their eyes.

"How much farther is the-" I paused a moment, searching for the right word, "hospital."

"It's about ten minutes to the car-" Ryan started.

"I will not enter it."

"Walking, it's a good hour."

I nodded. "Then I will walk."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This chapter takes place after chapter two of Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale. Please read it first. Thanks!**

They kept mentioning my eyes, the mortals. I stared at myself in the mirror placed above a washing basin in the washing room. I stood in the lonely room, dressed in a strange gown that had been given me to replace the clothing from the elf. It was almost impossible to keep shut, but I had managed. They had also given me a pair of slippers that felt good on my sore feet.

My eyes _were_ different than theirs; I decided they were right to think it strange. The colors in my eyes had reds blended with oranges and violets, green blended with blue and yellow. My hair was different, as well. It was fairer than even the fairest of others I had seen in my short time here, and when the light caught it the right way, I could see tinges of blue in it.

"Very unusual," I whispered, using the same words that the Mortals often did.

I heard footsteps in the other room, and peeked out of the washing room to see a mortal man dressed in strange black attire, unlike anything that I had seen thus far. He had short dark hair, and was looking around the room in a manner that made me feel uneasy. When he saw me, he smiled a smile that seemed to be trying to reassure me.

"Hello," he said, in a coarser accent than I had become accustomed to in my short time on land. "I'm Peter North; I'm a doctor who works in the hospital. Would you like to take a seat?"

I walked over to him, pulled a blanket off the bed to wrap around myself. I didn't completely trust the gown I had been given. "I would prefer to stand."

Dr. North nodded. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"Of course not."

Dr. North sat, continuing to smile. He had with him a metal-bound paper book and a pen. "Do you mind telling me your name?"

"Ninniach," I responded, and he wrote in the book. I was fascinated by the pen. "That holds its ink within itself?"

Dr. North smiled again and handed me the pen. Tentatively, I took it. "Haven't you seen a pen before?"

I shook my head.

"Where are you from, Ninniach?"

I remained silent for a moment, and then handed the pen back and moved back towards the single window of the room. "I do not believe that you would believe me."

Dr. North's brow furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"I mentioned Valinor to-" I cut off as I saw recognition in his eyes. "You know of Valinor?"

"Yeah, I'm a huge Tolkien fan," he responded, and the smile on his face became quite condescending. "So, if you're from Valinor, I guess that means you're an elf, then? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, with those ears."

Self-consciously, I touched the point of my ear. "No, I do not believe that I am."

Dr. North's smile remained the same. "Then what-"

"You do not believe in the Valar," I interrupted flatly.

"I didn't say that," Dr. North said slowly, the smile slipping from his face. His brow furrowed.

I clasped my hands. "Then you do believe in the Valar?"

"I... don't think that we know everything in the world. Tolkien's stories could be based on some sort of-"

"Do not lie to me."

Dr. North's eyes widened fractionally as he studied me. Eventually he nodded. "No, I don't believe in the Valar. Tolkien's stories are good stories, but that's all they are. There is no such thing as beings like the Valar, elves, dwarves, orcs-"

"Was there something specific that you wanted, Dr. North?"

He shook his head. "I just wanted to talk."

"You are not as sincere as you would like me to believe. What sort of doctor are you? You have not even inquired as to my health." I narrowed my eyes as I contemplated the man. "Ah. You think my mental state is fractured and I am a confused child."

"I would never-"

"I already told you not to lie to me," I said, and I felt a burning in my chest. Was it anger? "It matters not if you refuse to believe the truths that are clearly evident to my mind, but speak the truth and do not mock me for it!"

Dr. North stood. "Look, all I want to do is help-"

He reached out a hand to touch my arm soothingly, but withdrew it sharply, hissing between his teeth. To my surprise, I saw blisters rising on his fingers from where it made contact with my skin. He looked up at me with confusion on fear in his eyes. I took a step back from him, my anger disappearing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," I said.

"I, uh..." Dr. North stared at me for a while longer, and then started backing towards the door. "I'd better go."

He left quickly, and I pulled myself up onto the narrow bed, looking at my arm. There were three small spots from where he had touched my arm, and they glowed slightly.

"No unhallowed hand can touch me without suffering pain," I whispered, remembering, it seemed, from another lifetime, similar words spoken over me. I looked up at the door, where Dr. North had disappeared. "Who are you, Peter North, and what is it that you really want with me?"

#

It was almost an hour later when one of the mortals that I recognised from before entered the room. Julia, I remembered, a nurse. "Hey, Ninni- Do you mind if I just call you Nin? I'll never be able to pronounce your name properly."

I shrugged. "All right."

"Thanks. We just need a little blood to run some tests on, okay?" Julia said brightly.

I looked at the strange equipment she had brought and hesitated. "What for?"

Julia shrugged, checking the clipboard that hung on the end of the bed. "The doctors just want to check your levels, that's all. It's fine. We normally don't do this for patients admitted for hypothermia, but you're a special case, aren't you?"

"A special case?"

"We don't get many girls who've been washed ashore in the middle of a storm," Julia replied with a smile. "Here, take a seat-"

Julia and I both jumped when three new mortals entered the room suddenly. Two men and a woman. I glanced nervously at Julia, who was herself looking nervously at the new arrivals.

"Dr. Brightman, I didn't think you handled-" Julia started.

"Thank you, Nurse Flemming," the woman interrupted with a melodious voice. "I believe that you were about to take a sample of blood from our strange patient?"

"She's not really that strange," Julia protested weakly, but turned back to washing her hands.

"Of course not," Dr. Brightman replied coolly. "I meant unique."

The new mortals studied me in a way that made me feel not so much unique as a prized horse. I tried to ignore them as Julia pulled on a pair of the tight-fitting gloves that people around here used so often. She set out a bunch of equipment and tried to smile at me. It seemed as though she was just as unnerved, if not more unnerved, then I was by Dr. Brightman and her two men.

"Can you just rest your arm there?" she asked, pointing to the armrest of the chair I sat in. I did as she asked. Julia wrapped a band around my upper arm and told me to make a fist. She tapped the inside of my elbow and then wiped it with a small damp square, and then did some stuff with her equipment before inserting a small needle into the raised vein that was there. There was a small sting, and Julia smiled reassuringly at me. The smile dropped as the tube attached to the needle began to fill. She gasped.

"Amazing," Dr. Brightman breathed, stepping closer. The two men that she had brought with her narrowed their eyes.

I looked down at the tube, which was rapidly filling with a soft golden light and looked back up at them. "This is wrong, isn't it?" I asked Julia.

She looked up at me, her eyes widened. "Your blood is-"

"Thank you, Nurse Flemming," Dr. Brightman interrupted. "Hurry up and finish. There is obviously something wrong with this patient and she should be isolated immediately."

"What does that mean?" I asked the doctor.

"You'll be put in a room that is further from other patients, just until we figure out what's wrong with you. I must say, this is incredibly exciting. I have never seen anything-" Dr. Brightman cut off abruptly, possibly because of the glare Julia was giving her. The doctor cleared her throat, and then attempted not to sound so excited. "These men will stand outside your door to make sure you don't receive any unwanted visitors. There was a homeless man inquiring about you earlier."

The elf. He had followed me to the hospital. I inhaled sharply between my teeth. Julia was busy finishing her job. When she removed the needle from my skin, she pressed a piece of gauze to my inner elbow. Dr. Brightman left, and the two men took up positions on either side of the door. I gazed at them for a moment.

"They're not there just to keep him away from me, are they?" I asked Julia as she gathered up her equipment. "They're to make sure I stay here."

Julia glanced at the men as well. "Of course not, Nin."

"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I would appreciate it more if you didn't lie."

"I don't know what's going on," Julia confessed quietly. "I'm sorry."

She left, leaving me alone. I sat down on the bed again, looking out the door at the two men standing guard and shivered. I wasn't sure what was worse, being a prisoner again or knowing that the elf knew where I was. If I tried to escape, I could end up in his clutches, and that would be even worse, wouldn't it? I shivered again, recalling the grey eyes. Who was he, and what did he want from me? If he was here to prevent my return to Valinor-

I sat up straighter. If he was here to prevent my return to Valinor, was he not succeeding, by keeping me in such a fear of him that I dared not leave this obvious prison? Slipping to my feet, I walked to the door and cleared my throat nervously.

One of them men looked at me. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Might I get some other clothing to wear? I feel indecent in this gown." Was it a lie to leave out the stronger motivation was that this strange gown did not seem to be the type that mortals wore outside this building?

"I'll see what I can do, ma'am, but can you please stay inside your room for the time being?"

I nodded once and retreated again. How was I to escape? I didn't know what to do.

_Send me aid,_ I prayed to the Valar. _Please, help me!_

Moments later, another man, dressed in blue clothes similar to what Julia had worn, approached my guards, carrying a bundle of clothing. One of the guards checked the tag that was clipped to his shirt, and then waved him in. I stiffened as he walked in.

"Please," the elf said quietly, approaching me slowly, "please listen."

"I will hear no words from a servant of Melkor!"

He flinched as the sound of the name, stepping back from me. The two guards glanced in, one of them narrowing his eyes suspiciously. The elf did not look at me, but I could see horror in his expression. I pulled my knees to my chest as he set down the clothes on a chair. He spoke in a low tone.

"I know that many of my past actions have served the one you speak of, but it was never in my heart to do so. I also know that there is no way to atone for the evil I did in foolish, wretched pride, but please, believe me when I say has never once been my will to serve the enemy." He looked up at me, and I saw true pain in his grey eyes.

I stood, studying him. I did not see deception in his bearing, and inhaled. Had the Valar answered me with this elf? As I gazed at him, the red eyes shone in my memory, but perhaps... I nodded once. "I believe you."

Relief washed over his face and he spoke quickly. "It is not safe for an elf to remain with mortals. Will you come with me?"

I hesitated once more before nodding. He glanced over his shoulder; one of the guards was speaking in a low voice into the cuff of his shirt.

"Dress quickly," the elf murmured to me. "I will return soon."

He left, and I shut the door to quickly change from the strange gown into the clothing he had brought. He had even brought me shoes, and though I did not like the feel of the heavy things on my feet, I supposed that they would protect my skin. I was hardly dressed before an urgent voice began to shout. I flinched. It seemed to be coming from the ceiling.

I heard two thumps in the corridor, and then the elf slipped into the room. I saw the two mortal guards lying on the floor. "Did you kill them?" I cried in horror, certain that I should not have trusted the elf.

"No, they are merely unconscious." The elf grabbed the chair and smashed it against the window. The glass shattered. The elf then propped the chair against the door and then grabbed a blanket off the bed to wrap around his arm to clear the bottom of the pane. He held his hand out to me. "Quickly. They will be here soon."

Was it too late to change my mind? I only hesitated a moment before accepting his help. I climbed through the broken window onto the flat roof of the level below us. With his arm around my shoulder to ensure that I didn't slip, the elf hurried me across the roof to where a large tree was growing. It was a fair jump, but with elvish ease he made the leap. I summoned my courage and followed, hitting the trunk of the tree hard. I cried out as the bark bit into my hands.

It was a simple matter to scale down the tree, and at a full-out run, we left the hospital behind. I let the elf lead me. We dodged up paths and through buildings, not stopping until we were out of the town. I leaned over, gasping for breath.

"I have not run like that for years," the elf wheezed. It took him a little longer than me to even out his breathing, and when he did, he gestured for us to continue walking. "I have many questions, elleth," he said, "but I must ask you this first. Where is the Silmaril?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N This chapter takes place right after chapter 3 of Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale.**

**#**

The elf had remained silent, walking some distance from me, after he had realised what I was. I remained silent as well, watching him. He did not look at me, but I saw his shoulders tense and his hands tremble. The light of the moon was bright enough that the path we were taking was clear. We were headed back towards the beach.

I cleared my throat hesitantly. "I do not know your name."

The elf seemed to startle upon hearing me speak. I supposed that he had been wrapped up in his own thoughts. He glanced at me only briefly. "Maglor."

"Maglor," I repeated, a glimmer of memory returning to me. I frowned. "You are the son of Feanor. My creator. I remember you as a child. You and your brothers. You would come with your father and... I do not know what words he spoke to you, but I sensed the love between you."

"When I first saw the Silmarils," Maglor said, haltingly, "I thought that the work of my father had surpassed even the work of the Valar. It was that pride that..."

He trailed off. We had reached the beach, and I walked to the water's edge and stared out over the ocean. Maglor stayed a distance from both me and the ocean. I turned back and studied him closer. He still would not look at me, and when I stepped towards him he seemed to flinch slightly. While there was still a trace of fear in me as I gazed at him, I knew that his fear was greater.

"Where are they, your brothers? Why are you alone?"

"We should go to the cave, stay out of sight."

I shook my head. "I will go no further until you tell me what I wish to know. I believe you when you say you never wished to serve evil, but I do not trust you, Maglor son of Feanor."

With a sigh, he sat down in the sand. I joined him, although I was careful to keep some distance between us. He lifted his gaze and for a long time contemplated me. "I thought you knew who I was when you ran from me."

"I ran because I thought you served Melkor."

Maglor flinched. "Please do not say that name."

"What would you have me call him?"

"I have long tried not to think of him by any name." Maglor laughed bitterly. "But he has always been the great enemy in my mind."

I nodded slowly. "Very well." I scooted a little closer to him on the sand, and was half-expecting him to flinch again. He tensed slightly, but didn't move away. "What happened to your brothers, Maglor? And your father."

Maglor looked down at his hands, his expression becoming hollow with pain borne over millennia. "They're dead."

I felt a cold ball sink into my stomach, and felt tears prick my eyes. "All those shining faces... gone? Dead? How? Why?"

"Because of... Do you know what happened to you? How you left Valinor?"

"I remember darkness, I remember being caged," I replied, "that is all."

"The enemy stole you and the other two like you," Maglor told me softly, looking up at me. "He spilled the first elvish blood, killing my grandfather in his quest. And he killed the two trees, Telperion and Laurelin, whose light the Silmaril were filled with. My brothers and I- we made an oath, a rash, terrible oath, that we would reclaim the jewels our father created. That we would stand against any, elf, Maia or Valar who held them. We left Valinor, and took many of our kin with us... and slew many others whom we thought were standing in our way."

My eyes widened. Kinslayer. The word entered my mind as swiftly and terribly as had Melkor's name. It was almost enough for me to run again, but as I gazed into Maglor's grey eyes I saw regret and sorrow, and a disgust with himself deeper even then mine for him. I did not know what to do. Hesitantly, I put my hand near his on the sand, not touching, but closing the gap between us.

"My brother was freed from the enemy, I remember, long before my sister and I. I see him there, in the sky." I paused a moment, looking up at the evening star. He seemed to know that I was watching, and twinkled like a wink at me. I smiled and turned back to Maglor. "But when my sister and I were finally freed from his grasp-"

"It is my fault that you did not return to Valinor," Maglor interrupted. "My eldest brother, Maedhros, and I... we were the last surviving of us who took the oath, and we stole you."

"What happened?"

Maglor was silent for a long time. "My brother said that it was fitting that we two survivors each would possess one of the last two Silmaril. You were the one that I chose. But as soon as I held you, I knew that my crimes, that my evil deeds, had rendered me unholy, evil, unworthy to touch such a hallowed object. I had no right to possess a jewel that held the sacred light of the Valar."

"You gave me to Ulmo," I whispered.

Maglor shook his head. "I cast you into the sea, but not to return you to the Valar. I thought only to ease my own pain by... by ridding myself of the reminder of what I had become, and to protect the world from the bloodshed that desiring you had brought upon it."

I looked down at my hands, and worked through his words. For a long time, we were silent, each in our own thoughts, listening to the ocean rolling onto the shore. "You brother took my sister," I said eventually.

Maglor nodded once in silence.

"Where is she?"

"Maedhros would not accept that we were unworthy of holding the hallowed jewels," Maglor replied, and his voice wavered. "I begged him to release it, but he would not. He could not release your sister, and he could not release the oath that we had taken. It drove him made and he cast himself into a fiery chasm. Your sister will not be found until the world is reshaped."

I looked up at my brother again, wishing I could speak with him.

"I'm sorry."

Maglor's words startled me slightly. I looked back at him, pulling my knees up to my chest. I studied him for a long time. He did not look at me. "Maglor, that is your pain, not mine. Your brother died, but my sister was saved the terror of being possessed by evil, or used to justify evil. There was never so great a relief that I can remember then when the waves swallowed me. I was safe. For the first time in such a long time, I was safe."

He looked up, searching my eyes. "Do you truly mean that?"

I nodded, seeing the desperation in his eyes.

He looked away again. "Thank you, for saying that."

I put my hand over his. He withdrew it so sharply that for a moment I was afraid I had burned him, as I had Dr North. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Maglor turned over his hand, and a bit of the tenseness in his shoulders loosened. "You did not. I thought you would, but it seems that since you look Elven you do not have the same defenses against evil."

"Or there could be another explanation," I replied softly, putting my hand on his again. "At the hospital, there was a doctor, and when he touched me he was burned. Perhaps... Perhaps you are not so evil as you think."

"What happened at the hospital?"

I told him briefly of what had happened, and his gaze grew more alarmed as I went on. When I was finished, he stood. Hesitantly, he offered me a hand and I accepted his help. "We should retire to the cave. It is sheltered, and not easily accessed. I do not know what the mortals may do to you, but I do know that you must be returned to Valinor. That, above all else, must happen."

"Will you return with me?" He looked stunned by the words I spoke, and as I gazed at him my heart sunk. I knew his answer. How strange it was, that only a day ago I was terrified of him and now I sorrowed at the thought of being parted from him. I shook my head sadly. "I wish you would."

"Why?"

"Maglor, your father is my creator." I smiled briefly. "That makes you my brother."

His brows knitted in confusion. He opened his mouth, teetering on the brink of saying something but suddenly my vision clouded over. I felt my legs give out and he caught me. I heard his voice calling my name, but it faded out as a room faded into my vision. It was small, crowded by a desk on which heaped piles of paper. Doctors Brightman and North from the hospital were in the room. Dr Brightman was holding a small glass box containing the vial of blood that Julia had drawn from me.

"This emits an energy signal unlike anything I have ever seen before," she was saying excitedly. "This could change the world, it's more powerful than the sun-"

Dr North held up his hand. "You're saying that this girl has been on contact with some sort of energy source that's changed her blood?"

"No!" Dr Brightman shook her head impatiently. "She _is_ the power source. This girl, whatever she is, is not human. Imagine! If she's from another world, just imagine what sort of things she could tell us. The company would have a power source that we could do anything with. Nuclear bombs are _nothing_ compared to this! Just imagine what we could do, Peter!"

Dr North looked at the vial of my blood. He frowned. "You said that the nurse who drew this blood was not burned by touching the girl? Then why was I?"

Dr Brightman shook her head. "It could be that she was in a heightened emotional state with you. It could have been a defense mechanism. I don't know yet. All I know, is that we have to get that girl, and I pity the fool who thinks he can keep her from us."

I was brought out of the vision as a cold, salty water slapped my face. I gasped, jerking forward. Maglor had carried me close to the ocean, and as I blinked the water from my eyes, I heard him murmuring a soft prayer to Ulmo. He felt silent when I pushed myself so that I was sitting. Maglor moved forward, grasping my hand with worry.

I looked at him, my heart pounding against my ribcage. "They're coming after us."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's chapter 4 of Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale comes before this chapter.**

**#**

The sun had almost fallen below the horizon when Maglor gently woke me. I shivered slightly as I sat up. The air was cooler than I had expected. The weariness was still deep in my aching bones, but I tried to stifle a yawn and rubbed my eyes. I shivered again and pulled my blanket around my shoulders. Maglor smiled at me, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

"What?" I inquired, curious about what had evoked the response.

"You just reminded me of my youngest brothers. They hated waking, too." Maglor's smile slipped off his face, and he quickly informed me that we had to get moving again. I gave him the blankets, which he returned to his pack after shaking the dust from them. I frowned.

"Did you get any sleep at all?"

"I am accustomed to very little rest."

"So you did not sleep."

Maglor did not reply. He contemplated me for a moment and shook his head. "You are far too conspicuous, Ninniach. The mortals will recognise you easily. We'll have to find some way of disguising you. But for now, if you braid your hair we can hide it under a hat, and-"

"Braid?" I repeated, waiting for the word to register meaning in my mind. It did not, and I sighed in annoyance. There were many things that Maglor had mentioned while we walked the previous night that held no meaning for me. "I am afraid that I do not know what braid is."

"I'll help you." Maglor had be turn, and then he took my hair in his hands and began to tug at it. I tried to turn my head to see what he was doing, but he gently told me to keep still and continued. When he was done, he had turned my hair into a rope. It seemed to be heavier than when it was loose. Maglor then piled the braid onto the top of my head and fitted a wide-brimmed hat over it.

"There," he said, and smiled at how I looked. "It's not pretty, but it will work for now."

I touched the hat and grimaced. "I feel as though my head is going to roll off. I do _not_ like this braid!"

Maglor chuckled, and shouldered his pack. As he moved through the building to ensure that we left no trace behind, I walked to the door and looked out. The sky was overcast, and the last light of the sun was mostly blocked. I searched the place where my brother ought to be, but I could not see him through the clouds. I frowned in disappointment.

"We should leave now. We'll take the road for a little while. It will be easier for you," Maglor said, touching my elbow. I was startled, having been wrapped in my own thoughts, and I jumped. Maglor withdrew. He still thought that I feared him. My frown deepened as I contemplated him as we began to walk. Was there still a part of me that feared him? Perhaps, but he was mistaken if he thought that I didn't trust him. My brother.

"Ninniach," he started hesitantly after some time, "how did you become like this?"

I remained silent, not knowing what to day.

"There was a prophecy that I heard once, long ago," Maglor continued. "It spoke of a day when the dark enemy would return and a final, mighty battle would defeat him, and deconstruct the world, releasing the Silmarils to be recovered by the Valar. At that time, it was said that my father would be released from Mandos's halls and give the jewels to Yavanna, to restore the Two Trees. But- it was also said that the Simarils would be broken to revive the trees."

I walked in silence. Maglor's pace was quick, and though I knew that he was walking slower than he would have liked, I still struggled to keep up with him. "I do not know what to say, Maglor," I said eventually. "Perhaps the final battle has begun. Perhaps when I took on this form it _was_ the breaking of the Silmaril. We will learn when we return to Valinor."

"Yes," Maglor murmured. "We will. Of course."

We walked in silence for some time when Maglor's head turned to stare up the road from the way we had come from. A frown creased his brow, and he put his hand on my arm.

"We have to hide. Near the cliffs."

I nodded and Maglor lead me off the road. We had not gone far when I heard what had alerted Maglor; a purring sound, turning into a roaring as it got closer. A mortal vehicle. Maglor urged me to go faster, and I tried. We almost reached the cliffs when two lights stabbed through the darkness right on us.

"The ocean," I gasped. "Ulmo will protect-"

But before I could finish my sentence, there was a crack behind us and Maglor stumbled. A silver dart protruded from his neck.

"Run," he told me, stumbling a few more feet.

"Maglor?" I cried as he fell to his knees.

"Run," he choked out again, and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed. I backed away, but I could not force myself to run. Men dressed in strange black garb were pouring out of the vehicle, and they came at me with strange metal contraptions that I knew were weapons.

"Don't harm her, we need her alive," came a voice and looking past the men I saw Dr North exit the vehicle. He studied me for a moment before turning his attention to Maglor. He frowned, walking over to my brother. He bent down, turning Maglor's head and brushing his hair back to look at the point of his ear. Dr North frowned as he stood back up and walked towards me. "You really are a strange girl, Ninniach. You really believe all that stuff about Valinor, don't you? And now, you've taken up with someone who claims to be Maglor?"

I remained to be silent, and Dr North contemplated me for a moment before turning his back again.

"Get her in the van," he ordered, and drew a weapon from his waist. He pointed it at Maglor.

"No!" I shouted, and as the mortals caught hold of me, the heavy gloves on their hands were set ablaze and with cries of shock and pain they released me. I threw myself over Maglor's still body and was relieved to feel that he still breathed. I looked up at Dr North, staring past the metal weapon in his hand to his cold face. He glanced briefly at his men, who were trying to put out the fires that had spread up their arms.

"You cannot take me," I told him, hearing the tremble in my voice but also knowing that he would hear the truth in it. "You cannot touch me. You cannot force me to go with you. The only way you will get what you want from me is if I allow it."

Dr North hesitated a moment, and leveled the weapon at my face. "If you come with us, then he won't be harmed."

I stood, and the weapon followed me up. "I will go with you, and you will not touch him."

The men on fire began to scream, and a sudden pang hit me. I hated to see their pain, and with a thought the fires consuming them died. Some had fallen to the ground, panting, but I hoped that none were permanently injured. Dr North put away his weapon and smiled at me.

"We have a deal," he said, and then gestured to the waiting vehicle. I stepped towards it, and then stopped.

"Load all your men first."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Load your men. I will not be tricked into going with you, Dr North. After they are aboard and I am satisfied that you do not intend to harm my-" I cut myself off. If I said that Maglor was my brother, they would assume that he was like me, and he would be in danger again. "Companion. After I am satisfied that he will not be harmed, then I will join you. Not before. And know this, Dr North," I stepped forward, locking my gaze onto the mortals, "if you harm him in any way, I _will_ destroy you."

He contemplated me for a moment, and then nodded. "Your terms are acceptable."

He turned and gave orders to his men, who obeyed, although with trepidation. After they had returned to the vehicle, I drew in a deep breath. Dr North looked at me expectantly, and I walked with him to the vehicle. Inside, he directed me to a seat that had a large buffer zone between me and the men, and instructed me to fasten myself in.

My heart pounded as I remembered the last time I had been locked in a metal casing, and I wondered if, somehow, this was Melkor claiming me once again. I fumbled with the restraints, and after a moment gave up. Dr North frowned at me, but gave an order to the driver, and he took a sharp turn and headed back in the direction that they had come from.

I gazed out the window, trying to hold in my fear, and saw Maglor's still form lying on the ground. My stomach knotted. How were we to return to Valinor now?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's chapter 5 of Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale comes before this one.**

**And sorry for taking so long to get this done, I've just started a summer semester at university and life has been crazy!**

**#**

Dr North did not stop staring at me as we drove to a strange building and went inside. While the other mortals gave me a wide berth, he walked so close to me that it would have been easy to reach out and burn him. I reminded myself that I could not do that, for I had made a deal and must hold to it. If I became a liar, what else would I become?

They put me in a large, empty room. It was cool, but my shivers were not because of the temperature. There were large windows in the walls around me, and beyond them I saw people dressed in plain blue and grey uniforms, similar to the ones that were worn by the mortals in the hospital. Dr North soon appeared in one of the windows, staring in at me. There was a gleam in his eyes that I couldn't name. My shivers increased as I stared back, unable to break my gaze from his.

Dr Brightman from the hospital stepped up beside him. She seemed to be trying to get his attention, but he ignored her for some time. Eventually he turned, and breaking eye contact I turned to inspect my prison closer. There wasn't much to see; other than the machines and people seen through the windows, the room was plain white, with long strips of lights implanted in the ceiling.

My mind turned to Maglor. Would Dr North keep his promise? Was my brother safe?

I sat in a corner of the room, watching Dr North and Dr Brightman as their gestures got increasingly more excited. They were arguing about something. Me, most likely. What were they going to do to me? In my vision, she had said that my blood was more powerful than a nuclear bomb- I didn't understand what that meant, but I knew that it could not be good. But Dr North's intentions seemed to be no more honorable than Dr Brightman's. Perhaps they were just arguing over the best way to extract their energy from me-

The door opened, emitting four mortals wearing strange white clothing that covered them completely, with only a clear little window for them to see through. They brought with them a type of wheeled bed, with raised sides. I scrambled to my feet.

"Ninniach, please lie on the bed."

I glanced over to where Dr Brightman stood behind the glass. Dr North had left, I didn't care where. The mortal woman was leaning over some sort of device that was projecting her voice into the room that I was in. It occurred to me that I had stopped learning new words and things shortly after I met Maglor. It didn't matter. Taking a deep breath, I did as Dr Brightman asked, and the mortals strapped me in, with thick belts over my shoulders, just under my ribcage, across my hips, and then cuffs on my wrists and ankles.

The mortals left, and a few moments later returned with some sort of machine. Dr Brightman came with them, wearing garb similar to the others, only lacking the face-obscuring hood. She stood by and watched as the others began attaching small circular things to my temples. None of them touched me for long, but soon I smelled the burning of their protective gear.

"What do you want from me?"

Dr Brightman studied me for a moment. "You can change this world. Make it better. There is a power crisis, Ninniach, and not energy manufacturing. There are thousands of governments, each trying to outcompete the others. I work for a man that is trying to bring about world peace. Peter North is a visionary. He has come up with a plan to unify the world, to solve every problem that we have. But nothing comes for free, and the price to fix this planet is you. We need your power, Ninniach, for the man that holds the detonator is the man that rules the world, and that is the man who people will listen to."

"I don't understand."

Dr Brightman frowned at me for a moment, and then walked forward and checked over the work of her colleagues. "If you try to reason with people they won't listen. You have to demonstrate that you are worth listening to."

I struggled to come to terms with what she was saying. Her expression was cold and it wasn't until the gloves on her hands began to melt that she withdrew again. My head was pounding. All the blood that was spilled over me and my siblings thousands of years before this culture existed... and it was going to start again. "You're going to use me as a weapon?"

Dr Brightman shrugged. "The world has an overpopulation problem, anyway."

I couldn't comprehend the coldness of her words. "You're evil," I blurted, and Dr Brightman's expression became pained for a moment.

"I suppose that's what most people will think, and I don't blame them for that. But as Peter says, some things must be sacrificed for the good of the whole."

"You were arguing with him."

Dr Brightman shook her head as she began hooking wires to the attachments on my skin, and then connecting them to the machine. "I don't always see his vision."

The machine started to blink various lights, and the tremors of fear that ran through me increased. My eyes watered. "Please let me go," I whispered.

The doctor paused, gazing at me. She was silent for a long time. "You remind me a little of my granddaughter. She's three. I don't know what about you it is... Maybe it's that you have the same sort of innocence about you that she does. I know you don't understand what's going on here, Ninniach, and I know you're scared. I wish I could tell you that it won't hurt. But you have to understand that there is too much at stake here. We can't let someone else get the power you'll afford us. And there are many who would try. I'll try to make it easier for you, though, if you cooperate."

"Please don't."

"You could be the key to saving thousands of lives. Surely a little pain is worth that?"

A tear ran down my cheek. I thought of Maglor again. I hoped, knowing that it was a vain hope, that he would return to Lindon and take the elven boat to Valinor. But I knew, in my heart, that if he was able to, he would try to find me, rescue me, and that it would surely lead to his death.

"Dr Brightman, I want to talk to our patient alone for a moment," Dr North's voice said.

Dr Brightman looked up and frowned. "I thought we agreed to begin-"

Dr North came around the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. "Zandra, you can wait a few more moments for your experiments. There are things that I want to know from Ninniach that she may not be in any state to tell me after you are finished."

I looked at Dr North, and suddenly terror overcame me. It was stronger than it had been ever before, and I tried to ask Dr Brightman not to leave me alone with the man. My throat didn't seem to work, and I couldn't speak. Dr Brightman reluctantly nodded, and left, gesturing for the other mortals to follow her. As though it had been preplanned, the mortals in the rooms around us left as well, leaving me utterly alone with Dr North. He contemplated me as he sat down on the bed beside me, near my legs, not quite touching me.

"Zandra told you more than she ought to have," he murmured. "It is a shame. She had been very useful."

"What does that mean?" I questioned, finding my voice but finding it was very dry.

"Don't worry about that, Ninniach," Dr North said, and his voice was smoother than it had been before. More honeyed, seductive. "You will not care, soon enough."

"Why are you doing this? You don't really believe that you are helping the world, do you?"

Dr North chuckled lightly. "I was once fully satisfied with my lot in life. But things change. People change. I realised that I could do so much more. Be so much more. And they tried to stop me. They thought that they were so much better than me. But they failed."

Fear clenched my heart. "Who?"

"You know who." Dr North chuckled again, and then leaned in close to whisper in my ear. I felt the moistness of his breath on my skin and flinched away from him. "You're right, Silmaril. I am not helping this world. I am going to use you to destroy it."

He pulled away then and chuckled again. I stared at him in horror, and for a split second I saw red light spilling from his eyes. I opened my mouth to scream for help, but staring into his eyes I felt myself paralysed.

"Melkor," I whispered, forcing the word from my throat, but could manage no more than that.

"Melkor? Few would call me by that name anymore. Morgoth was the name that I have carried since it was put on me by Feanor."

I wanted to close my eyes, look away, do _something_ to stop that gaze from penetrating mine, but I couldn't.

"Peter North was a rich, unscrupulous man when I found him. He cared more about his profits than he did about saving lives. He was the perfect vessel to use to felicitate my return." He paused, and then reached out as though to brush his fingers on my cheek, but stopped. "This mortal flesh will wither if it touches you. I must admit, that I did not expect this gift to come to me. You, one that once crowned me in glory."

"You crowned yourself, and it was not with glory," I choked out.

Morgoth studied me for a moment. "You were fairer as a jewel, but you were always the least fair of the three. Weaker than the others. Still, you are fair to look upon. And now, knowing that I can use the Valar's own creation of light to destroy them... this is sweet vengeance indeed."

"You will fail."

Morgoth laughed, and brushed his fingers through my hair, despite the fact that instantly I heard the sizzle and smelled the scent of burning flesh. When he withdrew, angry red blisters rose on his hand.

"The Valar have withdrawn themselves from Arda, preferring to seat themselves in their Blessed Realm," he spoke the words mockingly, with open and bitter disgust, "and they allowed the second-born to forget them. They don't care. Who is there to stand in my way? Maglor, the Kinslayer, whose actions have often served my purposes, even as he proclaimed his hatred of me? I think, perhaps, he could be useful to me. But I vowed to eradicate the house of Feanor, and so-"

A soft cry tore from my lips. Morgoth paused.

"You care for him. I was confused that you would sacrifice yourself to spare him, but you truly care for him. After all he did, you have found it in yourself to forgive him?" He stood and seized my throat, fingers digging into my flesh. I felt the skin of his mortal host burn against mine, the smell so strong that I could almost taste it. "Is that why he did not burn at your touch? Why does he deserve to behold beauty and glory, tiny, insignificant being that he is, and yet I remain in exile?"

I could hardly breathe. His paralysing gaze was choking me more than his fingers. "Because," I gasped, "he- feels- guilty- you- revel- in- wickedness-"

Morgoth released me, but I still couldn't breathe. He glowered at me for a moment, and then calmly spoke. "Mortal flesh cannot hold me long, but know this, Silmaril, I am returning, and when I am here, you will be mine again."

He stumbled suddenly, breaking eye contact. I sucked in air gratefully. Morgoth leaned against the machine to support himself. It was as though I could see him grow smaller, and I realised that Morgoth was retreating from his host. Dr North shook his head, his body trembled and when he turned around, the red light had gone from his eyes, and he appeared drained and ill. He looked at the burns on his hand, and then up at me. His eyes met mine.

"He wanted to speak with you, I see," he murmured, and then, slowly, as though each step pained him, he walked to the door. "Dr Brightman! It's time to begin."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Chapter 6 of Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale precedes this one. Plus I'd like to give special thanks to Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl, who gave me an extra amount of help with this chapter, which was very stubborn and didn't want to be written!**

**#**

Several minutes had passed since Dr North had vanished from the room. I frantically twisted my wrists against the restraints, but accomplished nothing but chafing my skin. My breathing was as quick and frantic as my movements. I would not be Morgoth's prize again. I would not be used for his evil purposes. If I could not escape, then I would destroy myself. The thought burned in my mind, and I knew that I would not hesitate to do just that.

The door that Dr North has exited opened again. My heart hammered, thinking that Morgoth had returned. A lone man entered, wearing the white garb that the others had been wearing earlier. He carried a bundle with him. He ran at me. I flinched, until he began working at the restraints to free me. My heart leapt to my throat and I looked up at his masked face to see grey eyes.

"Maglor!" I cried in relief as he freed my hand. "Mor- the enemy! The enemy is coming!"

"I know. I heard. We must be swift and silent, Ninniach ," he warned. "We have to get out. There will be time for talk later."

I nodded and as he started on the restraints pinning my legs, I worked at the straps over my chest and other arm. Soon freed, he helped me to my feet.

"Put this on, quickly," Maglor said, thrusting the bundle at me, and I saw that it was a uniform like the one he wore. "I don't know how much time we have."

I hurriedly pulled the garb on. It was heavier then I had expected, and I felt clumsy within it, but I prayed that it would conceal my identity. We left the room, Maglor leading, and quickly followed the corridors. My heart stopped as we turned a corner to see three Men in the corridor, wearing the same white uniforms as Maglor and I did, although theirs had several black burns on the fingers.

"The prisoner has escaped!" Maglor shouted before the Men could question us. "Quickly, find Dr Brightman and Dr North!"

The Men reacted instantly, one of them telling us to go with him while the others raced down the way we had come. I looked at Maglor. He didn't show any hesitation as he followed the lone Man.

"Security should have alerted us," the man said. "That man she was with must have followed us. Why North didn't blow his brains out, I don't-"

A surge of anger overtook me, and I had to rein it back. There was a slight acrid smell in my uniform, and I realised that I had burned it. The lights above us flickered. The man leading us looked up at the ceiling and he stopped, shuddering.

"Did you feel that?" he asked, fear tingeing his voice. "That's got to be that girl."

Maglor glanced back at me, his grey eyes concerned. I shook my head minutely. I knew that I needed to keep myself under control, or I would give us away... Unless-

I took a deep breath as the man started to walk again, and concentrated on the emotion burning in my chest. Could I? Feeling suddenly that the uniform was closing in on my and that I needed to be rid of it, I pulled the hood off my head. Maglor stepped forward, his eyes widening inside his mask.

"Are you-" the man we had been following turned, and his eyes widened to see me. His jaw dropped, and it seemed that he did not know what to do. Quickly, I stripped off the rest of the white garb.

"Ninniach-" Maglor started, but I did not wait for him to finish. Throwing back my head and spreading my arms wide, I let my light burst from me. It shone bright and hot, causing even Maglor to shield his eyes. The man fell back with a shout. The lights cut out suddenly, and the sounds of machines died. We were left in the corridor, the only light emanating from my skin.

"I did not know you could do that," Maglor said, his voice stunned.

"I did not either," I admitted.

Maglor removed his hood. "There is no point is disguise any longer, is there?" he asked with a wry smile, and I returned the smile. We both turned to the man lying on the floor, and Maglor bent over him and pressed his fingers to the man's neck. "Alive."

I breathed a small sigh of relief. No matter whom these men were, life was a sacred gift from the Valar and it was not my place to end it. Maglor took my hand and we ran quickly through the corridors. Soon we reached a large room, filled with vehicles. I saw the sunlight and ran towards it, but Maglor hesitated.

"Ninniach, can you melt their tires?" he asked, grabbing a sharp-edged tool from a nearby bench. "We won't be able to outrun them on foot."

I nodded, and quickly we set to work, he stabbing the tires through, I laying my hand against them. The light that still shone from me made quick work of the rubber. When every vehicle was maimed, Maglor grabbed my hand again and we left the darkness of the building and were in the heat of the sun. She was brighter than I had ever seen her.

Thunderous cracks rang out behind us, and I heard whistling in my ear. Something shot through my hair, just above my ear. I stumbled. Maglor caught me.

"Don't shoot, you idiots, you could hit her! Get the cars!" I heard Dr Brightman shout behind us.

"Faster!" Maglor urged, and I did push myself faster. We ran, I not knowing where we were going or even if Maglor knew. We soon were on a road, which made the running easier, but I knew it would almost make it easier for them to find us.

A blue car suddenly rounded a corner. Maglor threw me to one side, diving after me, as the car released a squealing noise. It jerked to a stop. Maglor scrambled back to his feet, pulling me with him as the driver exited the car.

"Stay back, woman!" he bellowed, but I caught his arm.

"Julia!" It was the nurse from the hospital.

"Nin?" Julia's eyes widened. "Are you all-"

"There are men after us," I interrupted, dragging Maglor with me as I raced towards the blue car. "Please, we need to get out of here."

Julia stared at me for a moment, but nodded and slid back into her car. Maglor and I quickly got in as well, he in the back, me in the front. Julia glanced at me briefly before turning the car around and driving quickly away.

"Nin, you're glowing."

"We must get to the museum," Maglor said. He frowned at Julia, and I reached back to squeeze his arm reassuringly.

"She can be trusted."

Maglor nodded distractedly, and then repeated his request to go to the museum.

"If I ask, will you tell me what this is all about?" Julia asked, her voice tense, her eyes wide. "Brightman said that you were part of a terrorist plot, but why would they target Hapisburgh? And- I don't know why, but I _know_ that you're a good person."

"We have to get away," I said.

I glanced behind us. I saw no signs of pursuit and relaxed ever so slightly in my seat. We had gotten out! We have escaped, and Morgoth couldn't touch me. The relief was so overwhelming that I began to shake. What would he have done to me? I was shaking so badly that at first I thought it was a natural thing that my vision started to darken.

Suddenly, it was as though I was back in the building and for a wild moment I was afraid that my escape had been mere fantasy. But no- I was aware of Maglor calling my name before he faded entirely.

I found myself in a room filled with machines. They were lifeless, but the lights had been turned back on. I heard a noise behind myself, and turned. A scream tore from my lips. A dozen bodies scattered the floor, the stark white tiles stained red. Dr North- no, Morgoth, stood in the midst of the carnage, leaning over Dr Brightman. She was kneeling on the floor, her eyes wide as his burned hands squeezed her neck. The look on his face was feral; lips twisted hatefully, teeth barred, eyes glowing red.

He dropped the woman to the ground, and she lay unmoving. Morgoth wiped his mouth with his sleeve and then a grin twisted his face. He began to laugh, and the sound made me cover my ears. The red light in his eyes increased, and he looked up, seemed to look right at me.

"You are mine," he said, his laughter strangling his words. "And I will have you."


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: This takes place immediately after Chapter Seven of Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale by Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl._

#

I was halfway out of the car before Julia noticed and slammed on the brakes. The sudden loss of momentum threw me onto the road, and I rolled over several times before managing to push myself back up. Morgoth stood over Maglor, kicking him in the face and chest several times before he stopped. My gaze travelled from Maglor's bleeding and gasping form to the triumphant snarl on Morgoth's face. The hot light of the sun suddenly felt very cold as I gazed back at him. Hate burned sudden and hot in me and I launched myself forward, only to have Julia catch me and hold me back.

"Nin!" she shouted, but everything else was lost in the blaze of hate.

Morgoth laughed at me, and swooped down to seize Maglor's throat. Blood poured down my brother's face, and he weakly grappled with Morgoth's hand. Julia's fingers were digging into me as she attempted to drag me back into the car. Morgoth lifted Maglor off the ground.

"So you thought you would keep the silmaril from me, did you, Feanorian?" Morgoth laughed, his voice getting louder and more insane with triumph with every word. "Planned to escape back to Valinor, and deliver her into my siblings' hands? I will be sure to send them your regrets when I find my way back there, don't worry. I think it is high time you were reunited with your father and brothers. Enjoy Mandos, _fool _!"

He plunged his hand right into Maglor's chest. I saw a look of pain and surprise cross my brother's face, and the hate burned hotter. I pushed Julia off me. Maglor's gaze turned from his killer's face, searching out mine, and I saw regret, fear, and sorrow in his eyes.

The hate overcame me. It was too hot. I was burning from the inside. With a cry that was not quite in pain, not quite in triumph, I released my light as I had done in the research building. It shot from me, engulfing everything. I heard a sharp gasp from Julia, but I only had eyes for Morgoth, that enemy which had held me captive for too long, with iron and with fear. His head turned towards me, his eyes widening.

"You will not have me! You will not have this world!" I shouted, striding forward. Maglor slipped through Morgoth's fingers. He stared at me, as though in awe, as though unable to move. "You will never harm my kin again!"

With that, my light increased tenfold. It seemed for a moment that I eclipsed even the sun. Morgoth flinched away, but it was too late. As my light washed over him, his stolen mortal body disintegrated into ash. The hate still burned in me as I gazed down at his remains, but then I heard a slight gasping wheeze. I looked up to see Maglor crumpled on the road, blood pooling out of his chest.

My hate vanished instantly, the light around me fading. I ran to my brother's side. His eyelids were flickering, and I leaned over him, watching as the color faded quickly from his face. His lips moved, and then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he went limp.

"Maglor?" my voice came out choked, hoarse. "Maglor!"

I heard a sound behind me and my heart leapt to my throat, envisioning in that instant Morgoth's ashes reforming, but then Julia knelt beside me. Her face white, her hands shaking, she nonetheless gazed down at Maglor and put her fingers against his neck.

"I've got a pulse, but it's weak," she muttered.

"He's alive?"

"Just barely. We have to stop the bleeding."

Julia shrugged off her jacket and waded it up to Maglor's chest. I saw that her mind and body were slipping into the medical routine that she was accustomed to, in order to shield her from the shock of having seen a man burned to ash in an instant.

"Hospital," she said.

"We're not human."

"Right. Right, I-" Julia closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. "I've got a first aid kit in the car."

I looked at Maglor's bleeding face and everything that had just happened seemed to wash over me in a black wave. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

"Get the first aid kit. It's in the trunk-"

"Will it be enough?"

Julia thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Put your hands here and here, and push as hard as you can."

I hesitated only a moment before obeying the order, holding the jacket against Maglor's chest. Blood was beginning to seep through the fabric and it stained by fingers. My quivering spirit hardened and I gritted my teeth. I would not let my brother die. Could not.

"Talk to him," Julia told me, and then dashed off the road, bending over, searching for something. I didn't know what.

"Maglor," I started, and my voice shook. I cleared my throat. "Maglor, he's gone. We stopped him."

I couldn't think of anything else to say. Maglor's face was growing greyer, and his breathing was shallow.

"Julia!" I called over my shoulder.

I heard a car door slam shut and soon she was kneeling beside me again. She had a small white case with her, that when she opened contained bandages and medicines, and also she carried a bunch of sweet-smelling plants. I looked at her quizzically.

"It's an herb that my grandfather used to use," Julia explained, crushing the leaves into the bandages. "My sister's much better at this than me, but I can do this."

She worked quickly, adding a little water to turn the herbs into a paste, and then pulled the bandages around it to make a poultice. Then she gently peeled the jacket back from the wound on Maglor's chest, cut open his shirt, and placed the poultice on the spot where Morgoth had been digging into Maglor's chest. Maglor gasped shallowly, his back arcing, and then his breathing started to even out. Julia hurriedly pressed more bandages around the wound, taping them on.

"This should help, but I still don't know, Nin. We have to keep him warm, and I don't know what I'm going to do with his face-"

"We have to go to Valinor," I interrupted. "He needs the healing that is there. He will die if we remain here."

"He can't travel like this."

I pressed my hand against my brother's face, a frown furrowing my brow and tears burning my eyes. "It is his only hope, Julia. I know it is. Help me get him to the car."

Maglor was heavier than either one of us anticipated, but we tried to be gentle as we carried him back to Julia's car, laying him in the back seat. I climbed in after, kneeling on the floor to watch over him. Julia slid into the driver's seat.

"Where do we go? How are you going to get back?" she asked.

"Maglor spoke of an elven vessel in a museum in the town. We'll have to use that."

"You mean steal it."

"Unfortunately, I see no other way."

Julia looked back at me and then nodded. "Of course."

#

"A ship won't fit into my car."

Julia and I had spoken seldom as we drove back to the town, finding a shelter close to the beach where we could safely put Maglor. We had carried him to a small cove, far enough from the road that he wouldn't be noticed, but not so close to the ocean that he would get chilled. We wrapped him in a blanket from Julia's car. He seemed to be breathing easier since Julia had applied the poultice to his chest, but his face remained grey.

"Nin?"

I nodded to acknowledge that I had heard her speak.

"Look, I know that you think that you have to return to Valinor, but I just don't see any way of getting that ship to the ocean. I suppose we could rent a truck or something but… Nin, I'm going to be honest. Once you're gone, it will be fine for you. You'll be safe. But if we steal the ship from the museum, they'll trace it back to me. Nobody will believe that I was helping characters from a book."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Julia. I didn't realize how selfish I was being. You've been more than helpful. Thank you. I can find some way to do this on my own."

"Don't be ridiculous," Julia muttered, sitting beside me and checking Maglor's pulse again. "You need help and you know it. We'll rent a truck. I'm just scared is all."

It was true. I did need her help. I smiled my thanks. She returned the smile, and then looked worriedly at Maglor.

"We need to move quickly. You don't know how long it will take to get to Valinor, and-" she cut herself off. "Let's go. I know where we can rent a truck."

She stood and left the little cove. I was hesitant about leaving Maglor alone, but I realized that I had no other choice.

"I will return soon, and we shall set sail for Valinor and all will be well," I promised my unconscious brother before following Julia out. I tried not to think that he could be dead before we returned.

Julia was quick to get the truck that we needed, and to find the red-brick museum. It looked strangely out of place among the other buildings, although I couldn't say for certain why. We inquired inside as to where to find the ship, and were directed to a courtyard area behind the museum.

Julia drove as close as she could to the courtyard, and then we inspected the situation.

The ship was exactly where we had been told it would be, sitting in a wooden framework to keep it off the ground. I gazed at the smooth ash wood, resisting the urge to reach out and touch it. There were other Mortals around, and Julia and I couldn't be seen as suspicious. I circled the ship, my awe of the design tempered by my anxiety of how to get out to the shore without being seen. I looked up at the sail and recognized instantly Manwe's golden eagle.

_What do I need to do?_ I prayed silently. _Please, you cannot allow my brother to die, not after everything that he has done to save me._

Julia's expression was awed as she gazed at the ship. "It's just how Tolkien described the ships from Valinor," she whispered. "I never would have thought… It's real, isn't it? It's all real." I nodded, and she turned to me, tears bright in her eyes. "My grandfather used to tell us stories while he taught my sister and I to play the cello. He told us that he was furious when the Lord of the Rings first came out, he said that Tolkien stole our family history… it wasn't really the same, but there were too many similarities to avoid. Grandfather said that we were descended from ancient kings, from the time when elves still wandered the land. It's a story that his grandfather told him. An elvish maid gave up her immortality for love of a human king… Nin, I think I'm descended from Aragorn and Arwen!"

I furrowed my brow. The names were not familiar. "I cannot say if you are or aren't, but we have to find a way to-" I cut off as a Man walked behind me, but Julia understood, nodding.

I turned my gaze back to the ship, my frown deepening. How to clear the area and get the ship away? An idea came to my mind. Perhaps… it would be risky, in more ways than one, but I had to try something. Maglor was dying where we had left him. I had to take the chance.

"Stay here," I told Julia, "and be ready."

I slipped through the crowd until I reached the brick building. I knelt by some bushes and held my hand among them. Concentrating, I let a little light seep out of my skin. Soon, the bushes were smoking and a few flames flickered. Quickly, I returned to Julia and waited. It wasn't long before shouts of fire started, and all the mortals were running in one direction, to put out the flames.

I seized the bow of the ship and pulled. It was far lighter than I had expected, and slid off its supports easily. Julia went round to the stern, and began pushing. The keel of the ship cut through the dirt as easily as though it was going through water, and I sent a prayer of thanks to the Valar. Lifting it into the truck was a little trickier, as it was too large to fit smoothly, but we managed to get it in before the woman from within the museum spotted us.

"Hey!" she shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Drive, I'll stay back here to ensure it doesn't fall!" I called to Julia, and she quickly started the vehicle.

The engine roared as we shot from the parking lot. The mortal was still shouting after us, but she dashed back into the museum. Julia drove recklessly, ignoring the traffic laws she had explained on the way here. Many other vehicles on the road made loud noises and swerved to avoid us. I clung with one hand to the ship, the other to the side of the truck, hoping that the momentum would not cause me to fall.

We reached the beach soon, and as Julia and I got the ship onto the sand, she paused to listen to a high-pitched wail in the distance.

"That'll be the cops," she muttered, and then focused herself back on the task.

Together we dragged and pushed the ship to the cove where Maglor lay, still breathing, but his face greyer than before.

"We've got the ship, brother, we're going home," I said as I looped my arms under his shoulders and Julia grabbed his legs. His groan was the only reply. The ship seemed even lighter, this close to the ocean, but Julia and I were both panting by the time I splashed into the water.

The wailing of the cops was louder, and Julia glanced back with an expression of dread.

"You can come with us," I told her.

"No. I've got a life here, Nin. I've got a family, and a job where I'm helping people. I can figure this out. Besides, I'm human. Only one mortal has ever seen Valinor. You go."

Tears blurred my vision, and I embraced Julia. "The Valar bless you, my friend."

Together, Julia and I pushed the ship into the ocean, until it began floating easily, and then I clambered in and Julia kept pushing until she was waist-deep and the ship was moving by its own momentum. A strong wind filled the sails, and the ship moved faster and faster away from shore. I stood up and waved to Julia as she became smaller and smaller.

"Fare well, Ninniach Silmaril!" she cried, her voice so small I could barely hear her.

Cars with flashing lights slid onto the beach, and she turned resolutely back to the shore. The wind whipped my hair around my face and with a lurch I felt the ship increase speed. When I dragged my hair from my eyes, I could no longer see the shore.

I turned then to Maglor. His breathing was shallow again, and kneeling beside him I saw that blood had soaked through his bandages. I cradled his head in my lap, knowing there was nothing else I could do, wishing that there was, hoping that we would reach Valinor in time.

I don't know how long I knelt there, praying aloud and in my heart, before exhaustion overtook me. I laid my head against the side of the boat. As I closed my eyes, I felt a softer, warmer breeze drift across my face.

"Do not fear for your friend," I heard a voice whisper, and suddenly I could very clearly see Julia, sitting in a small room, twisting her hands nervously. The door opened to emit a middle-aged mortal with light brown hair, wearing a business suit, and carrying a briefcase. He smiled reassuringly at Julia and sat down across the table from her.

"Hello. My name is Agent- I'm Phil," he said, and his relaxed pose and warm smile had an effect on Julia. Her shoulders loosened a little. "I've heard a lot of things about you, Miss-"

"Julia," she interrupted. "You can call me Julia."

"Julia. You've caused quite a stir in this sleepy town. I've been looking over your employment record-"

"I'm sorry, I thought this was about the ship from the museum," Julia interrupted again, frowning.

"It is. Now, as to your record of employment. You're a very gifted woman, Julia. Graduated at the top of your program, you've been involved in several research projects on natural healing techniques… I've talked to some of your colleagues and they've told me that you're not just a nurse. You're a true healer."

"I trust in some of the remedies that have been in my family for generations."

Phil leaned forward. "Stealing a ship from a museum could put a damper on your career here. How would you like a different job? One where you could be working with doctors from around the globe to develop more efficient ways of dealing with injury and illness?"

Julia looked shocked. "I don't have that kind of schooling!" she protested.

"No. But I think you have that kind of knowledge. We've got a base in Portland that we would like you to work with. It may mean moving to the United States, but-"

"I'll do it," Julia said, sounding stunned but pleased.

Phil's smile widened. "Excellent. I look forward to working with you."

My mind sank into sleep then, dreamless and peaceful. I woke suddenly as the dawn was growing from the east, a swift sunrise. The water was like silver glass. The Evening Star was bright in the sky, and I gazed at my brother in the sky for some time before turning to check how Maglor was. He was still breathing, but only barely. His skin was going cold, and the bandages on his chest were red and scabby with dried blood. I shifted him into my arms more, concentrating to let a little of my light out, hoping to warm him.

"Please, don't leave me alone again," I whispered, tears splashing from my face to his.

I heard a sound; a clear, long note as blown from a horn. I looked up and then I saw it; white shores. And beyond, a far green country.

**#  
Spectrum will be completed with chapter 8 of The Harpist's Tale.**

**My description of Valinor here is taken directly from what Gandalf says to Pippin in Return of the King (movie) and I believe that it's also a description from the book, from Frodo's journey as well.**


End file.
